I'll upload another chapter if we reach 140 power stones.
...
The resounding clang of his armored feet hitting the floor of [Gate of Babylon] alerted Cassie of his presence.
Walking towards her and poking his hand inside a portal, Gilgamesh pulled out a packet of beef jerky, even though it was only a few feet away from him.
'[Gate of Babylon] has sure as hell made my life a lot easier.'
And made him a lot lazier too.
Cassie instinctively turned towards the rustling sound of plastic.
"Gilgamesh... is that you?"
Her voice was tinged with uncertainty and fear, considering that if it wasn't him, her situation would be dire.
"Yes, it's me, Cassie."
Relieved at the sound of his voice, a bright smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, and here's some jerky that I convinced the people at the Academy to give me."
Gilgamesh gently placed the packet in her hands after ripping it open with ease.
Gilgamesh wasn't lying when he told Cassie that the faculty of the Academy had given him this. He had to exert barely any effort to convince them. The safety of their Sleepers was their first priority, no matter what. And considering that he was Rank 1 in the ratings, it was more of an investment on their side.
Of course, the food and water were taken with their permission. Gilgamesh summoned a table and a chair to sit in front of Cassie with his own bag of jerky. These tables, chairs, beds, and clothes though? He had ransacked his whole room along with his neighbors' to get them.
'It should be their pleasure to host an esteemed guest such as myself. And of course, it can't be considered stealing, as I'm eventually going to return their favor with ten times its value.'
A King never leaves his debts unfulfilled, after all.
"I... don't understand."
Gilgamesh looked at Cassie as she began to speak. He finished chewing and swallowed while drinking water.
"Why would you go through so much trouble just to help me? I'm completely useless."
A downtrodden look appeared on her face.
Gilgamesh looked at the girl, contemplating the perfect response.
"It is the King's duty to take care of his subjects, no matter what trouble he might be going through. And you, Cassie, are more to me than a mere subject. I won't lie; at first, I only talked to you because I felt bad, but... as the weeks passed, I began to care more about you. I care a lot about you, Cassie; I don't think I'll be able to bear it if I let you get hurt."
Cassie felt a warm feeling spread throughout her body at Gilgamesh's heartfelt words.
The thought of manipulating a naive girl didn't sit well with him. While what he had told her wasn't exactly fake, Gilgamesh had started to care a lot more than he had initially expected. Even Sunny and Nephis were a lot closer to his heart than he had anticipated, especially considering his difficulty thinking of them as real people instead of characters from a story he had once read.
'It's all for the Greater Good.'
Instead of dwelling on these thoughts, he shifted his attention to the things that piqued his curiosity. Could you travel to different planets in the Dream Realm? How did these things even work? From what he could remember—though he could be very wrong—almost every region of the Dream Realm had different constellations.
Later, when Antarctica would be incorporated into the Dream Realm, surely it would have different constellations too because it was from earth. How did the Spell even bring places from real life into the Dream Realm anyway?
And what would happen if you picked one of the four directions and started walking until you reached the ends of the known map of the Dream Realm? Would everything just cease to exist? Or were there more regions out there that were still undiscovered? What would happen if someone went to the original Antarctica after it was included in the Dream Realm?
Gilgamesh got up while shaking his head. He already had a lot on his plate; perhaps he'd try to answer all these questions once he had enough time.
Once Cassie was done eating, he teleported both of them to the cliff.
"We will be heading east to meet up with Nephis. After regrouping with her, we shall head west to meet up with Sunny."
Cassie looked surprised that he already knew where the other people who had been dropped here with them were.
"Wait, Lady Nephis? As in Changing Star of the Immortal Flame Clan?"
Walking towards the end of the cliff, Gilgamesh sat down with one leg dangling down while the other was tucked beside him.
Even though no one was looking, Gilgamesh was still aura farming.
"Indeed, it's her. I met her a couple of times while at the Academy," he paused remembering something, "Right, I almost forgot, take this."
With the sun glinting off his armor, Gilgamesh walked towards Cassie. Once he reached her, he held her hand, transferring the Memory to her. Cassie hesitated briefly before accepting the transfer and equipping the Memory he had given her.
A dark, hooded cloak draped over her shoulders and back, somewhat obscuring her upper body. Beneath the cloak, she was equipped with a form-fitting leather chest piece, crafted from segmented scales.
Cassie's arms were covered with leather gauntlets made out of what looked to be shark scales, and her lower body was protected by leather pants. On her feet, she wore dark boots.
The attire made her resemble an assassin more than a seer.
"Thanks again, Gil... I just don't know how I could ever repay you."
An uncertain look crossed her face.
"Cassie, I've already told you, your safety means more to me than anything else," Cassie still looked unsure, "Anyhow, this armor has the enchantments [Silent Glide], [Depth Dweller], and [Cloak of Displacement]. The first one allows you to swim silently whenever you are in water. The second one increases your speed while in water and allows you to breathe underwater, and the third one makes you hard to perceive in the dark."
It was the perfect armour for someone from the House of Night.
Even though it was one he had gotten from a Fallen Beast, it didn't mean anything to him.
The [Golden Armor] was leagues above anything he would get in this world.
While putting his collection of Soul Shards inside [Gate of Babylon], he told Cassie to get in too so that he could teleport both of them.
When she was inside portal, Gilgamesh looked east.
'Let's see where you are, Nephis.'
Unleashing the true capabilities of his eyes, he looked further and further. Nephis had moved from the hill that she was staying on.
Scanning around the area, he found her battling an injured Carapace Scavenger.
Once he had found her, he focused to open a portal.
The portal Gilgamesh opened was roughly ten kilometers away from his current position, the current limit of his ability. Stepping through, he opened another one directly in front of Nephis.
Since Gilgamesh didn't have any pockets to slip his hands into, he simply clasped his gauntleted hands behind his back.
When he emerged from the portal, Nephis had already killed the Carapace Scavenger and was looking in his direction with caution, ready to attack.
Gilgamesh threw her a lazy grin. "Long time no see, Neph."
She looked on cautiously for a few more moments before dispelling [Dream Blade].
Perhaps she realized that no Nightmare Creature could copy his perfect features.
Unfortunately for him, Nephis wasn't wearing the seaweed bikini that he was expecting. Instead, she was dressed in a simple tunic, with leather sandals on her feet and a cloak the color of sea waves draped around her shoulders.
Once Gilgamesh was sure nothing was going to attack, dropped Cassie out of the portal.
He turned west, looking for the statue of the knight.
Since it was there was still some time left for sun set, Gilgamesh decided to find Sunny as well.
"Uh, Nephis, take care of Cassie for a moment. Don't worry, I'll be back within a few minutes, Cassie."
Giving her a head pat, he teleported away to where he knew Sunny was.
The portals were opened by him a few more times before he finally reached where Sunny was.
While looking down from his position in the air, Gilgamesh found her battling fiercely against a Carapace Scavenger.
This was the second time in a row in just five minutes that someone was fighting a Carapace Scavenger.
While Sunny was busy fighting the Nightmare Creature, he decided to sit down on a coral formation while observing her.
Perhaps influenced by his bravado, Sunny had become more courageous, as he was fairly certain the original Sunny was not supposed to move from her spot for at least another day.
The fight between her and the creature went on, Gilgamesh almost considered interfering when she was caught by the creature's claws, but seeing that much of the damage was negated by [Puppeteer's Shroud] and that she hadn't given up, he decided to wait.
Piercing its brain through the eye, the creature finally died, letting Sunny fall from its grip.
Before she could hit the ground, Gilgamesh was already moving towards her. Catching her mid-air, Gilgamesh smirked at her as she let out a soft groan in his hands.
"You fought pretty well there, considering it was an Awakened Nightmare Creature."
Sunny grumbled as he put her on the ground.
"Couldn't you have arrived earlier?"
After a few minutes she got up from the floor, standing while grimacing.
"I could have, but that would have just stunted your growth."
Turning away Gilgamesh moved towards the carcass, kicking it.
Looking back towards Sunny, he opened a portal that deposited a roll of bandages and an ointment for bruises into his hand.
Sunny looked at the portal curiously. "What was that?"
Moving towards her, Gilgamesh answered.
"It's my Aspect Ability; it allows me to store things."
Sunny tilted her head, wondering how he got the top place in the Academy with an Ability like that, while he had told her about [Gate of Babylon] in the Academy, she had never seen it before.
The wind swept through the air, billowing the cape around his waist heroically.
Unrolling the bandage, Gilgamesh smirked towards her. He pointed with his free hand towards the top of [Puppeteer's Shroud].
"Remove your top."
A scandalous look crossed her face, and a flush deepened on her cheeks.
"Why?!"
Gilgamesh uncapped the ointment while raising his eyebrow at her. "To bandage you up, of course," he tutted at her disapprovingly, "Truly, you're more perverted than I previously thought."
A flustered expression crossed her face as she willingly removed her top, instinctively covering her rather sizable chest.
'I was just joking when I told her to remove her top. I had planned on simply handing her the bandages and ointment after she refused. I didn't realise that Sunny is even more perverted than I had thought.'
Not letting the opportunity go to waste, Gilgamesh began applying the ointment to the ugly bruises forming on her pale ribs.
While bandaging her, his hand 'accidentally' brushed against the underside of her breast. Ignoring her subtle shudder, he finished bandaging her.
"All done, you can put it back on."
Sunny nodded, her face still bright red as she re-equipped the upper part of [Puppeteer's Shroud].
A red blur rushed towards Gilgamesh after he had backed off. It didn't have the chance to come close to him as its brain was blown apart by a pebble traveling through a portal from beside Gilgamesh.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[You have received an Echo.]
[Your treasury grows deeper.]
Staring coldly at the Carapace Scavenger, which had already been severely injured by its own kin, Gilgamesh blasted its body apart until the Soul Shard within became visible.
The Soul Shard was sucked into the portal as he didn't want to desecrate his gauntleted hands with its filthy blood.
The blood from its annihilated body dripped on the floor as Gilgamesh turned back towards Sunny who was staring at him in shock, understanding why exactly he was placed first.
"You should collect the Soul Shard of the creature that you killed. Don't take the meat; I already have food inside of [Gate of Babylon]."
Nodding at his words, Sunny began to dismember the dead body of the Carapace Scavenger with her newly gained sword, in an effort to find the Soul Shard.
While looking at the sun which was about to set, Gilgamesh patiently waited as Sunny put the Soul Shard in her [Seaweed Satchel]. Once she was done, Gilgamesh walked towards her.
"I'll have to put you in [Gate of Babylon] so that I can teleport both of us to Cassie and Nephis."
The names of the other Sleepers were noted by her as she gazed at the golden portal suspiciously, "It can store living beings too?"
A deep, tumultuous sound, shaking the ground beneath them, could be heard as the sun began to set.
"Indeed, it can. Now get in quick before the black sea swallows us both."
Slightly panicking at the sound of the dark sea rolling back in, Sunny stepped into the portal without wasting any more time.
Without wasting any time, he opened a portal beneath himself and teleporting himself high in the air, Gilgamesh looked west where he knew the Ashen Barrow would be.
"Don't worry, Carapace Demon, my pebbles are going to break through that adamantine armor of yours before you even realize it."
Laughing in the air, Gilgamesh opened another portal and headed towards the tall hill with the large coral.
...
Once he reached the hill where Nephis and Cassie were sitting around a fire, Gilgamesh released Sunny.
"I wouldn't be lighting a fire anytime soon if I were you guys."
While he trusted himself to be able to kill any Nightmare Creature that might attack, he wouldn't say the same for the three of them.
Trusting his advice without question, Nephis snuffed the fire out.
"Gilgamesh, you're finally back!"
Patting her head, he sat down beside her while Sunny stood there, observing them and regretting not talking to anyone besides him in the Academy.
"Uh, hi. I'm Sunny, it's nice to meet you all?"
Nephis nodded, while recognition flashed through Cassie's face at her voice.
"You're the girl that used to sit beside Gil."
Feeling even more awkward, Sunny responded with a 'yes' and came to sit beside him. Feeling the need to drink, she cautiously asked, "Do you guys have water? I, uh, feel thirsty."
Cassie immediately responded with a bright smile; the flickering glow of a Memory being summoned appearing near her hand.
"Yes! I have a Memory that provides endless water."
After the Memory formed in her hand, she passed it towards Sunny, who drank it greedily after looking at it suspiciously for a moment.
Since it was night and they didn't have anything to eat except the monster meat that Nephis had taken from the Scavenger, Gilgamesh opened a portal.
Immediately, multiple canned foods and dry foods along with forks and spoons dropped in front of him.
While the food was supposed to last a month, with them being four of the now, it could only roughly last for about two more weeks.
Disgusted at the mere thought of eating monster meat, Gilgamesh wished that he had extorted more food from the Academy faculty.
"Feast, my dear subjects; no one shall go hungry under my rule."
Nephis raised an eyebrow at his antics, but having grown accustomed to it after spending four weeks with him, she did not complain and picked up the food while thanking him. Sunny, even more used to it, thanked him as well while trying to hide her ravenous appetite.
Gilgamesh handed some of the cans to Cassie along with a spoon. While he didn't like eating such cheap meals, it was still better than eating filthy monster meat.
While enjoying his meal, Gilgamesh almost laughed at the thought of the Spell finding out that they were spending this 'deadly trial' while living lavishly.
A comfortable silence enveloped them after they were done eating.
Lying back, Gilgamesh thought where his main base of operations for his Clan should be. Godgrave, perhaps? He didn't know much about it, except that it was a deadly and horrific place. While he doubted anyone could harm him, he wasn't particularly sure if his subordinates would be able to survive it. The Nightmare Desert then? He knew even less about it, except that Song and Anvil were fighting over it and it had some time-turning estuary made by Ariel or something. Take over Storm Sea? If Mordret could do it, then even he could too. But it didn't really fit his aesthetic.
"Since we're going to be depending on each other, we should share what abilities and Memories we have at our disposal"
Gilgamesh sat up, turning towards Sunny as she spoke.
Silence reigned in the area.
Just as Sunny was about to speak, perhaps to earn their trust, Gilgamesh answered.
"Well let's see, I have five attributes: one enhances my senses and the strength of my body immensely; the second makes me incredibly lucky; the third increases my charisma; the fourth has something to do with a flame of divinity; and the last one? Even I don't know what it does."
Nephis looked at him intensely, interested in what he was saying, especially the [Flame of Divinity] part.
"My Aspect basically allows me to store and launch things at immense speed. The range is roughly 10 kilometers, and I can open about a hundred of them. I have two main Memories: a sword and this armor that I'm wearing right now. I might have a few more, but I haven't checked yet."
Sunny looked at him enviously; even Nephis was shocked while Cassie had a curious look on her face.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Sunny decided to start instead, "My attributes give me an affinity to shadows. I also have a slight affinity for divinity. Lastly, I am prone to finding myself in unlikely situations."
Cassie looked at Gilgamesh first, and the nodded embarrassedly.
"Uh... she is telling the truth. Not that we doubted your honesty or anything."
Sunny looked nervous before clearing her throat and speaking, "Oh, that's good, but why are you so sure that I'm being honest?"
Cassie shifted beside him.
"Oh! That's my Ability. I can 'see' people's Attributes. Sometimes, I also receive, uh, 'visions.' They can be about the future or the past. I mean, that's what I think... It only happened a couple of times."
Relaxing slightly, the black-haired girl spoke again, "That's a good Ability. Speaking of Abilities: My shadow can move independently and explore. It can't affect the material world, but we share sight and hearing. That way, I can spot danger before encountering it. The shadow is fast and stealthy: it can go anywhere and is almost impossible to notice. Oh, I can also see in the dark."
Nephis looked at Sunny, appreciating her ability as a scout, while Cassie nodded.
"Anyway, that's my Ability. As for Memories, I have three. One is an armor, one is a sword, and the last one is a really loud bell."
Since it was her turn to speak, Nephis started explaining her attributes: "My attributes give me an affinity to light and fire, as well as a strong affinity for divinity. I have two Memories: this armour..."
While Nephis was looking at Sunny, Cassie whispered in his ear, "Nephis is lying; she has two more attributes called Nephilim and Dreamspawn."
Nodding, even though he already knew that, Gilgamesh patted her on the back. Pleased with herself for finally being useful, Cassie turned her attention back towards Nephis.
"...and a sword. The armour increases my speed . The sword is very sharp and can protect its wielder against soul attacks, to a certain extent. My Ability... can be used to heal."
Not saying anything anymore, Nephis turned her attention towards Cassie. Since no one was speaking, she realized that it was her turn now.
"It's my turn? Uh... my attributes are nothing special. I guess I have an affinity to revelations and fate. My Ability is like I told you before. It's not very useful. About my Memories, I have three: the bottle, the wooden staff, and this armor. You already know about the bottle. The staff can create wind. The armor is actually of Ascended rank... uh, Gilgamesh gave it to me when we met. I can swim silently, hide myself in the dark, and become faster underwater while also being able to breathe."
Both Sunny and Nephis looked at him incredulously. Not only had he killed a Nightmare Creature with the rank of Fallen, but he had also given the Memory of it to Cassie.
Gilgamesh leaned back, arms crossed, a proud smirk on his face with his eyes closed.
For a moment nothing happened, all of them except Gilgamesh absorbing what they had learned about each other.
Getting up from where he was sitting, with all the three pairs eyes following him, Gilgamesh opened a big portal.
Something dropped out of it. Then another, and then two more.
Walking towards one of the beds, he dispelled his armor, only letting the bodysuit under it remain.
"Wake me up when it's my turn to watch."
Climbing under the sheets, Gilgamesh allowed himself to fall asleep while the other three girls watched in various states of disbelief.
...
Word Count: 3625.